ME/IR before CPL

[powdermonkey]

Hi all

Due to the fact that my school does the CPL in a twin ( lack of single complex), one of the possible avenues after ATPLs is to do the ME rating, do my 40hrs in FNPTII for the multi IR, and then do 15hrs in the twin. Now I will have Me/IR, and should be comfortable in the twin and my skills well sharpened by the time I do my CPL training and Test.
Are there any pitfalls in this way of doing things?
Anyonelse done it and could give advice?

Thanks

[Callsign Kilo]

If you can master the ME/IR then you should have no problem with the CPL in my opinion. However you may have to 'train' yourself to get your 'head out of the cockpit' before doing the CPL after your IR. Plus doing both the IR and the CPL in the twin must be expensive??

[Parson]

I did ME-twin IR-single CPL as that is the way the school taught it. You will do well to pass the IR in 40 sim & 15 a/craft even after doing the ME training, unless you're a bit of an ace. Even the young guys who were really on the ball took around 25 hrs in the a/craft, with 30 in the sim. (Even guys converting a FAA IR were taking about 15-20 hrs in the a/craft).

The advantage was that I found the CPL a dawdle, but overall you won't probably won't make a cost saving. A twin CPL though, will give you more multi hrs and probably make you slightly more employable.

[EGBKFLYER]

Did it as you describe, though I had more aircraft time and less sim time (a good idea IMHO but depends on your bedget of course).

If you have an IR before the CPL, you have only 15 hours to do to get the CPL, though the IR is then 55 hours not 50. When I did it (summer 2004, modular), I would have saved about £1000 due to the reduced hours on the CPL. I chose to spend the savings on a twin CPL because I like flying twins and I had just spent some hardcore time in them on the IR.

Lastly, if you do a multi CPL, there is no PFL on test, though there is some asymm (which is nothing to worry about cos you've done loads on IR!). HAven't seen official stats but a lot of folks find the PFL to be their downfall on test and this is one way to avoid finding out if it's your weakpoint ;).

[edited to say that I think having about 15 more twin hours will make little if any difference to employability as a wannabe]

[herta]

I did the CPL on the PA 44 before the IFR.
From my opinion I would say that it is even easier because the emergency procedures are the same all along your training. Once you have the machine in hand it s ok, and after the IFR, the altitude and headings are much better mastered.
Between my CPL and IR I have something like 50 hours of twin.

[powdermonkey]

Thanks for that guys

Callsign Kilo
the expensive part will be the twin CPL alright especially since the test may end up costing nearly 1000Euro!
Our FNPTII however is 130Euro/hr so on the whole that part will be resonable. The twin is 400Euro/hour. With some luck the school may aquire a single complex, but by then I may be comfortable enough in the twin, certainly part of the CPL can be done in a 172, but the test will be in a faster ac, so nav and divertions will be trickier!

EGBKFLYER, thats very interesting, I didn't know the CPL time was reduced and I didn't know about the no PFL's, sounds great!


PARSON,
You are right though about the hours for the IR, I am certainly not an ACE (wish I was) but at the moment I am just quoting minimums to compare costs. Would you say the average in about 20 to 25hrs in the air to be up to speed on IR flying?



Herta, that's also another way to look at it, did you find the CPL just a more precise version of the PPL and therefore felt there was good continuity and things remained quite familiar?

Thanks everyone for you inputs, I was kind of hoping you might say the CPL was easier after the IR..and you did
Cheers:ok: